India recalls three diplomats from Pakistan

New Delhi | India on Tuesday recalled three diplomats stationed at its High Commission in Islamabad after their identities were made public and Pakistan charged them with “spying”.

The diplomats, including First Secretary Anurag Singh, were named last week by Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria, who had alleged that a number of Indian diplomats and staffers were involved in “coordinating terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan under the garb of diplomatic assignments”.

According to officials, apart from Singh, Vijay Kumar Verma and Madhavan Nanda Kumar left Pakistan by air today. The decision was taken as their security had been “completely compromised” by Pakistan with their names and photographs published and broadcast in the media there, they said.

India’s action comes within days of Pakistan recalling six of its High Commission officials here after their names were made public by another mission staffer Mahmood Akhtar, who was declared persona non-grata and expelled for running a spy ring last month.

Akhtar’s expulsion had triggered a tit-for-tat action by Islamabad, which also expelled an Indian High Commission official posted there.